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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Allan Bartlett's GOP Liberty June 8th primary Voting Guide

The absentee ballots have been mailed out. People have been asking me about my voting guide for the upcoming GOP primary on June 8th so I figured I would whip up a quick post with all my recommendations and reasons behind them. I'll start at the top of the ticket and work my way down as it reads on the ballot.

Governor...Steve Poizner

This may turn out to be the finest rope-a-dope campaign ever run by a gov candidate. A few months ago Poizner appeared to be dead in the water. Now he's tied with Arnold in a skirt Meg Whitman. My heart lies with Larry Naritelli and Chelene Nightingale, but since this race is close, I will be voting for Steve Poizner.

Lt Gov....Sam Aanestad

This is a no brainer. Abel Maldonado should not be rewarded for being the main reason that taxes are higher CA during the last budget cycle. Vote for Sam Aanestad.

Secretary of State....Damon Dunn

This pick got harder for me in the last month because I was actually had a chance to hear Orly Taitz at our last Irvine meeting and she has a great story of how she immigrated over here from Russia. Unfortunately she has not been helping herself in the media with her over the top stands on Obama's birth certificate and a few other issues where she basically has taken herself out of contention because of the way she has come across to voters. So I'm sticking with Damon Dunn here.

Controller....Tony Strickland

I'm not impressed with Tony's endorsements the last few years, but he is my choice for Controller here.

Treasurer....Mimi Walters

It's either this or leave it blank. I have not been impressed at all with Mimi Walters. The way she handled the firing of my friend Kat Vermelis tells me all I need to know about Mimi Walters and her staff. I'm reluctantly voting for her.

Attorney General....John Eastman

This is a really hard decision because Sen Tom Harman has been a good friend to Irvine Republicans and I really like everyone on his staff. Having said this, elections are about candidates and their views. John Eastman is far and away the best conservative choice for CA Attorney General.

Insurance Commissioner...Brian Fitzgerald

The other candidate Mike Villines was the GOP leader in the State Assembly that helped deliver the largest tax increase in CA history. Don't reward him with your vote here.

BOE 3rd District....Vic Baker or leave blank

I can't in good conscience support Michelle Steel anymore after what she did to Irvine Republicans. She has been giving aid and comfort to our Democratic Mayor Suhkee Kang because they share the same race, they're both Korean. Last time I checked, that's not a very good reason to support anybody, especially if they are idealogically against most everything that you say you are for.

US Senator....Chuck DeVore

This is another no brainer. Chuck gets it. He understands that in the Constitution, there are less than 18 specific enumerated powers delegated to the Congress. He will be a great US Senator and he can beat Barbara Boxer in the fall.

US Rep 48th Congressional District....leave blank, no recommendation

This decision pains me, but really we as voters are left with no other choice when the Congressman that represents us turns his back on the document he swore an oath to uphold. He can not be rewarded for doing the wrong things when the pressure was really on him. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the Congressman's vote in favor of the largest bailout in US history(the TARP).

As for the other OC Congressional races, I would vote to re-elect Congressmen Ed Royce and Dana Rohrabacher. In the 42nd CD, I would vote for Phil Liberatore. Gary Miller also voted for the TARP and he has some ethical issues swirling around him. He deserves to be sent home. The same goes for Ken Calvert. He voted for the TARP as well and has worn out his welcome. Vote for his opponent Chriss Riggs if you live in his district(San Clemente, Coto de Caza, Corona, Riverside). In the 47th CD, this is a no brainer choice in the GOP primary. Vote for Van Tran. Van has a great shot at beating Loretta Sanchez in the fall.

70th State Assembly District....Don Wagner

This was another easy decision for me. Don is a proven conservative. He will continue the excellent representation that Chuck DeVore has given us for the last six years.

The next section is Central Committee elections. I will go through my recommendations for each district. I've been working with a lot of Tea Party people for the last year on this project. I have high hopes that a lot of new people will get elected to our OC GOP Central Committee. I designated whether I knew that certain candidates were Tea Party, Campaign For Liberty, and CRA friendly. Inc stands for incumbent.

56th AD

Only four candidates filed and they are automatically elected. If anyone wants to be on the Central Committee and you live in the city of Buena Park, this would be an excellent chance to get involved since usually not all six seats get contested each cycle.

Whatever you do...please do NOT vote for Janet Nguyen here if you live in Costa Mesa, Westminster, Fountain Valley, & Garden Grove. The Central Committee already has enough primadonnas on it. I'm only recommending four people in this race.

Many good friends running in this district. If you vote for one person, obviously please vote for me. There's more than six people I would support in this race. There's a few incumbents with whom I enjoy good rapport. No one on the committee is indispensable and it would be nice to get some new people elected.